Monday, September 21, 2009

ENJOY THE LIQUOR AND THE DELICATESSEN: Well, that was an eventful episode of Emmy-winning Mad Men. Apparently Matt Weiner has taken all the "Sopranos except with less whacking" commentary to heart in bringing us a (weed-)whacking the likes of which Tony Soprano never dreamed. I'm not sure whether this was the intent, but I laughed for a solid couple of minutes. (And I loved the bit where Pryce and Don stood together at the Dr. Pepper machine giving a big collective "whew" about the professional disaster that they'd both just averted.)

Given all the speculation about Connie's identity, it was fun to see that particular digression pay off. What will happen now that Don's getting a chance to go to the show? If Sterling Cooper's new British overlords aren't going to send Don to London (literally or metaphorically), will Don take this prospective careermaking client and head for greener pastures? One would think that Don will not flub this opportunity, but recall the Brits' short-sightedness on the MSG project.

And then there's poor Joan -- so in need of a good drycleaner and without a dime to pay one. This episode was the Christina Hendricks showcase we've been missing all season. Obviously there's more to the story of what happened to Greg at the office today beyond the no-magic-in-the-fingers conversation, but is Joan's story going to end up being that of a woman trapped in a marriage she thought she wanted, or is it going to be the tale of a woman who figured out how to embrace the new winds starting to blow? Phrased differently: will Peggy be Mad Men's only modern woman, or is Joan hot on her heels?

Lots more that we could discuss, but for now I'll just go back to singing "I'm running you over with a sharp lawnmower that I've never used before . . . ."

No comments:

Post a Comment